Posts Tagged ‘Vermilion’
Neighborhood Restaurant Group Exploring Rotating Pop-Up in Del Ray
Posted by Stefanie Gans / Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
In the fall of 2009, Mike Isabella was still wise-cracking his way through season 6 of “Top Chef.” He still cooked under the José Andrés empire. And he still hadn’t exploited the pop-up concept to promote his countless—one, two, three, four (?), five (?), twenty-five (?)—new restaurants in Washington, D.C. Pop-ups are the new cupcake: once a trend, now a staple.
But in this region, pop-ups were still underground three years ago. So underground, that when Michael Babin, owner of Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Vermilion, Evening Star Cafe, Rustico) used the patio adjacent to Planet Wine for Red Apron Butchery charcuterie, salami and paninis, he didn’t even know how to categorize the Canteen. “I’m not sure we knew that we were supposed to call it a pop-up back then,” says Babin of his short-lived patio party.
The weekend-only pop-up lasted for a month and a half, which was just as soon as the landlord caught on. When he started demanding rent for the unoccupied space, Babin closed it down, “If we’re paying the rent he wants, then we’d only be doing this to benefit him, so we stopped.”
But now that Babin bought the property six months ago, he’s thinking about resurrecting the concept with month-long pop-ups staring NRG chefs. Babin’s vision would include building a utility kitchen in a small building in the back of the patio, filling the 50-by 40-feet space to the right of Planet Wine with picnic tables and topping it with a retractable awning.
Read the rest of this entry »
Hops Are Hot: Mad Fox Brewing Company Nominated for Hottest Bar Scene
Posted by Stefanie Gans / Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
The kids are cool out in Falls Church, at least that’s what the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) says.
Mad Fox Brewing Company was nominated for a 2012 RAMMY award for Hottest Bar Scene of the Year, the only NoVA restaurant selected for this category. Other nominees include Black Jack,The Hamilton, Hill Country Barbecue Market, and Marvin.
Unlike Chef of the Year (NoVA Nom: Anthony Chittum, Vermilion) or Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year (NoVA Nom: The Ashby Inn & Restaurant), Hottest Bar Scene is selected by the people. Public voting is open now through April 29. Awards will be presented at a gala on June 24th.
You can use this link to vote for NoVA’s craft beer hangout. NoVA props. Whaaaat Whaaaat!
Photo: Jonathan Timmes
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
House Charcuterie
Vermilion was named as one of the region’s best restaurants for a reason. All rustic charm and exposed brick, Vermilion is not just offering up great food and atmosphere, but using local and farm-raised products whenever possible. Last night I had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to not only get a taste of Vermilion’s Farm to Table tasting menu, but to sit down with the woman who’s farm made it all possible.
Elaine Boland is the owner of Fields of Athenry, a family-inspired farm where they serve the local community through pasture-raised antibiotic and hormone-free meats and other fine foods. As she says herself, Fields of Athenry Farm didn’t start out with a mission, but it has one today.
Boland’s personal quest for a more natural and holistic healing method began when her second youngest daughter became ill more than eight years ago. After bouncing around from doctor to doctor, she began a personal quest to explore the “relationship between the foods we eat and chronic diseases such as allergies, obesity, depression, cancer, autism and more.” The farm became more about focusing on “whole foods” grown the way nature intended- including hormone-free meats, raw milk and cheeses, pesticide-free produce and nutrient-dense stocks.
“Here at the farm we believe in healthy eating as the first and foremost preventative measure to many illnesses,” she states. And according to her, her daughter’s health has taken a 360 degree turnaround.
Thus began her quest to share her passion with others. Enter Executive Chef Anthony Chittum and the Farm Table concept.
Chittum understands and appreciates the value of having fresh local ingredients at his disposal- and he doesn’t take it for granted. The Farm Table at Vermilion is a commitment to the local farmers, purveyors and foragers who consistently provide an amazing array of regionally grown goods. Offered just two nights a week, these intimate dinner parties (of only 2-6 people) are both prepared and served by Chef Chittum, and focus squarely on the very best of the week’s local produce. Dedicated to those equally committed to their craft, The Farm Table will present an unequaled opportunity to dine with the chef at his best, share his stories and to explore his changing inspirations.
The Farm Table at Vermilion combines Chef Chittum’s expertise with Boland’s fresh meats and produce to create a tasting menu you won’t soon forget. Our menu last night consisted of 7 courses, starting with grass-fed beef Carpaccio and ending with a homemade apple pie “bar” served with a variety of flavored ice cream, whipped cream, sauces and nut toppings. Heaven.
And in between, a variety of dishes so artfully prepared that they were as pretty to look at as they were delicious.
One of my favorites- a squid ink tagliarini, made with Atlantic squid two ways, minced Thai chilies and a house-made lamb pancetta. It had just the right amount of heat from the chilies and richness from the lamb pancetta to make it a truly inspired dish.
The last meat course was a lamb porterhouse, inspired by Chef Chittum’s fiance’s Greek heritage. Boland is particularly proud of their pasture-fed lamb meat and I could see why. Served with a crispy loukaniko “cannelloni” and an heirloom tomato salad, this lamb was one of the best chops I had ever tasted- tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. Even though I was already so full by this time, I still ate every single bite.
Lamb Porterhouse with flavors from Syros
I highly recommend that, at least once, you treat yourself to this brilliant menu and concept. Spend a few extra dollars and get the wine pairings as well- you won’t be disappointed. It’s amazing how the right wine can not only complement an already-perfect dish, but elevate it as well. Trust me, you’re in good hands at Vermilion.
The Farm Table is available Tuesday and Wednesday evenings with one seating at 6:30 p.m. They welcome parties of 2 to 6 people, and the meal is typically six to eight courses and ranges from $75 to $90 per person. Menus are posted two days in advance, limiting the number of allergy or dietary requests we can accommodate. For more information or reservations, call 703.684.9669 or visit their website here.
For more information about Fields of Athenry Farm, go here.
– Jennie Whistler
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, June 7th, 2010
The 2010 RAMMYS kicked off with a strong start last night, glammed up for the evening with its Casablanca theme based on their own version of the famous line “We’ll always have…restaurants.” Northern Virginia made a respectable showing – with 2941 taking the award for Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year and the Pastry Chef of the Year to its Anthony Chavez. Vermilion claimed the trophy for Best Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year.
Anthony Chavez of 2941 accepts his award as Pastry Chef of the Year
In the past, the awards ceremony took place during a seated dinner. But the 2010 RAMMYS is introducing a new format with a theatre-style ceremony followed by buffet-style dinner in the main ballroom. Chef Liam LaCivita of Liberty Tavern (and nominee as Rising Culinary Star) says yes to the latest changes. It was quick, he says. LaCivita is currently busy with the recent opening of Northside Social, a coffee and wine bar in Clarendon.
Theatre style seating for the new RAMMYS format
The table of 2941 also reports glowing praise of the new format. Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel says the RAMMYS of 2009 had been a disaster as it seemed like people didn’t care. But he found this year’s set-up to be much more “tasteful.” (Yes, he did use that exact word, but I don’t think he knew how much his unexpected pun delighted me!) Chemel says that the new format shows that it is more about the event than the party.
However, Anthony Chittum, Executive Chef of Vermilion might disagree. He was not a fan of the changes, saying it was too chaotic. I was surprised when he told me that he had to stand during the ceremony as there were not enough seats.
Miles Vaden, Executive Chef of Eventide, had the same problem. I’ll attest to that as I was standing on the side of the show right next to him.
I didn’t have the chance to survey every guest, but from the handful of reactions I gleamed, I may have recognized a pattern. Those nominees left without a chair in the house were less inclined to embrace the new style.
RAMW President Lynne Breaux absolutely loves the theatre-style format and reports a positive consensus. She concedes that with any new thing, we will have to tweak it to make it better in the coming years. For RAMMYS 2010, she says people paid attention to what was important.
Scott Drewno, recipient of the Chef of the Year title, especially appreciates not having to worry about going up on stage with spinach in his teeth.
Anthony Chittum and his girlfriend, Dominique
In other exciting news, Anthony Chittum tells me he is headed to Crete for some culinary research. I hope we get to see some of that Greek influence in their next Outstanding in the Field dinner, an evening of al fresco dining set for September 12th. (Opa!) In the meantime, Chittum and his girlfriend, Dominique recommend we try Duangrat’s Thai Restaurant in Falls Church, a traditional family restaurant which they say is not recognized enough.
- photos and story by Jamel Daugherty
NoVA Well Represented in 2010 RAMMY Race
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
(Image: RAMW)
Restaurant awards season is now officially underway, with the James Beard Foundation unveiling its 2010 finalists yesterday and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington shining a light on the D.C.-Metro area’s culinary superstars today.
Though they are two very different competitions, there are at least one pair of hometown hopefuls in the running for both the national Beard Awards and local honors: restaurateur Jose Andres–whose minibar has him in contention for a Fine Dining RAMMY and Beard’s Outstanding Chef award–and CityZen pastry chef Amanda Cook (nominated for her delectable sweets by both hospitality scrutinizing bodies).
Meanwhile, Northern Virginia restaurants figure prominently in nine of the 14 RAMMY categories, including:
* Fine Dining: 2941
*Upscale Casual: Liberty Tavern, Vermilion
* Neighborhood Gathering Place: EatBar
* New Restaurant: Eventide, Inox
* Chef: Bertrand Chemel/2941
* Rising Culinary Star: Liam LaCivita/Liberty Tavern, Shannon Overmiller/The Majestic, Jon Mathieson/Inox
* Pastry Chef: Anthony Chavez/2941, Josh Short/Buzz (Neighborhood Restaurant Group)
* Wine Program: 2941
* Beverage/Mixology Program: EatGoodFood Group (AKA Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve/PX/The Majestic fame)
You can browse the full list of 2010 RAMMY nominees here. The winners will be feted June 6th during an awards gala at the Marriott Wardman Park.
Northern Virginia Magazine would like to congratulate all the nominees–yes, even you D.C. restos–and wish you all the best of luck on awards night!
–Warren
OitF Returns to NoVA this Fall
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, March 22nd, 2010
(Image: Turtle Rock Farm)
The Outstanding in the Field bus will roll back into town this September (9/10 – 9/12) for a trio of farm-to-fork extravaganzas hosted by Ayrshire Farm and Potomac Vegetable Farms.
Local toques recruited for the 2010 tour include:
* 9/10: Vidalia chef RJ Cooper;
* 9/11: Ayrshire Farm chef Rob Townsend (check out his tribute to Sicilian chard in our April issue); and,
* 9/12: Vermilion chef and three-time OitF contributor Tony Chittum.
Tickets for each dinner are priced at $220 per person and will go on sale this Saturday (3/27) at 11 a.m.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 17th, 2009
If I'm drowning in affogato please do not send help. Photo: Amy Loeffler
I can remember eating a lot of “Veggie Delights” from Subway, a sub that amounted to basically the garnish vegetables from the sandwich menu stuffed into foamy wheat bread with such copious amounts of mayonnaise that Larry the Lifeguard from the 1970s PSA “Don’t Drown Your Food” would have immediately broken into warbly admonishings if he had been present. A side of potato chips (original Lay’s) and a tall root beer completed some half-hearted flirtations with vegetarianism, but never very inspired (or healthy) meals.
Even though quite a bit has changed in regard to meatless offerings on restaurant menus, it’s hard to ignore that vegetarian dining options, save for a hastily thrown together mish mash from the back of the house, are still slim pickings, even at fine dining establishments.
Going veg in Northern Virginia just got A LOT better, however, with Vermilion’s unveiling of a vegetarian tasting menu.
Gut Check reported last week that Chef Tony Chittum was on the precipice of presenting his vegetarian line-up, a tasting menu that one of the restaurant’s owners, Michael Babin, describes as a “higher commitment” to its vegetarian clientele.
And last night Chef Tony made good on that commitment to Vermilion’s meat-avoiding customers in both technical preparation, creativity and taste.
The evening began with a refreshing tomato and watermelon “consume” with pickled okra paired with heirloom tomato, spicy pimento dip and crispy okra that was bright and refreshing in both liquid and solid form. Then we were off and running, ready to see if a total vegetarian menu could classify as satiating for the carnivores in the room.
One of the first courses to come out was on ode to summer squash manifested in the form of a rainbow of “carpaccio” complemented by a crispy squash blossom that housed a piece of meaty, smoked mozzarella enveloped in red pepper puree. A dish that was just as satisfying as any meat based entrée thanks to the heft of the mozzarella.
A real stunner was the cauliflower soup. An ambitious combination of grilled tofu, Marcona almonds, golden raisins, and a smoky golden curry froth. The sweetness of the raisins contrasted well with the soft kick of the curry, while the Marcona almonds acted as an amenable bridge between the two creating a tertiary taste all its own. It was hard not to forgo the spoon and inhale the whole bowl in one gigantic slurp.
Although pesto roasted cremini mushrooms with russet potato gnocchi was not the most dramatic item on the menu, it sang with all of the conviction of summer’s last gasp as the comforting familiarity of crispy Thai basil and soft gnocchi worked together to bring memories of mid-summer front and center.
And speaking of drowning, the closer of affogatto with malted chocolate ice cream and chocolate donuts (complemented by a fortified Jumilla made from Monastrell grapes) left cocoa addicts quite pleased with the ability to dunk the soft center of the donuts into the cup of affogatto to absorb the caffeine-infused goodness of the espresso. The anti-chocolate offering (it was hard for me to believe, too, but some individuals do not adore chocolate) of orange meringue, cantaloupe ice cream and honeydew soup was summer in a spoon. Orange meringues were as firm as sugar cookies, but dissolved instantaneously upon popping them into your mouth, and the orange infusion of flavor was reminiscent of Grand Mangier, not overpowering, but decidedly present.
Come to think of it, a vegetarian friend of ours is coming to visit in a few weeks and now I know just where to take him for a meatless night out. That is if I don’t go back myself to indulge in some veggie delights before his arrival.
–Amy Loeffler
*The tasting menu will change according to the availability of seasonal ingredients, but if last night’s iteration is any indication of what diners can expect from Vermilion you may start holding your other favorite restaurants to this standard of vegetarian dining.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 11th, 2009
Chef Anthony Chittum is no stranger to working with fresh vegetables (that’s some of his farm-to-table handiwork below):
(Image: FoodieTots)
But he’d now like to make the leap to full-on friend of the meatless masses by adding a dedicated, four-course vegetarian tasting menu to Vermilion’s seasonally inspired carte.
Chittum said carving out a degustation experience for vegetarian guests just makes sense, particularly since the kitchen has begun fielding requests for alterna-preparations (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) with more and more regularity.
“Any type of request that’s physically possible, we’ll try to do,” he said of staffs’ predisposition to custom-tailor every meal to the best of their ability.
According to Chittum, the vegetarian menu is unlikely to be published within every menu. But there will be a line urging diners to inquire about the daily offerings and staff will routinely relay the most current tasting configuration.
Chittum said his menu will include a quartet of “composed dishes”–i.e., a carefully choreographed meal rather than a slapdash arrangement of culinary afterthoughts and warmed-over sides–drawn from the freshest produce of the day.
Check this space next week for a report from Chittum’s 9/16 preview dinner–a feast poised to include: spicy pimento dip and crispy okra canapes, carpaccio of summer squash accompanied by smoked mozzarella and pureed red peppers, corn-, potato- and smoked lobster mushroom-stuffed pasta, pesto-roasted cremini mushrooms with yukon gold potato gnocchi and a malted chocolate ice cream-espresso-homemade chocolate donut closer.
–Warren
NoVA Restaurants Score Big at 2009 RAMMYS
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Sunday, June 7th, 2009
(Image: Michael Birchenall)
A cadre of stellar local toques and restaurants (many of whom we’ve crowed about in the magazine) did NoVA proud at the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 2009 RAMMY awards.
Top honors takers from here in the Old Dominion included:
* Restaurant Eve (Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year)
* The Liberty Tavern (Neighborhood Gathering Place)
* Anthony Chittum (Rising Culinary Star of the Year), and,
* Kate Jansen (Pastry Chef of the Year)
Congratulations to all the 2009 nominees and, of course, to the aforementioned award winners. Peruse the full list of 2009 RAMMY contenders here.
–Warren
Sustainable Chefs Look Westward this Summer
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, May 8th, 2009
Looks like ’09 is shaping up to be the summer sustainable dining takes NoVA by storm.
(Photo: LuluMom)
First came the news that the Outstanding in the Field folks were setting up camp at Ayrshire Farm all Labor Day weekend.
Now, we’ve got a pair of award-winning local toques spearheading dueling solstice (June 20) dinners at some of their favorite local farms.
Having successfully piloted/survived last year’s maiden OitF event here in the area, it appears Vermilion chef Anthony Chittum has fully succumbed to the cooking-under-the-stars bug. A Neighborhood Restaurant Group spokesperson said Chittum kept in touch with the OitF crew and immediately signed up when they mapped out a return trip.
Meanwhile, Chittum huddled with the NRG brass all winter in an effort to cook up their own “meet the farmer”-style dining experience.
The result: their debut Virginia Farmland Solstice Supper.
“It’s almost a 5-for-1 deal … getting to mingle with the farmers on their own property,” the NRG spokesperson said, noting that the participating specialty producers–Greenstone Fields, Moutoux Orchard, Potomac Vegetable Farms, Tree and Leaf Farm, and Wheatland Farms–collectively farm the adjoining tracts of land where the dinner will take place.
Guests will be invited to interact with the artisan purveyors, tour their respective properties or just enjoy the Virginia countryside prior to the meal and will be treated to wine pairings by local winemaker Dennis Horton as part of the seasonally-inspired banquet.
“This is definitely going to be an annual event,” the NRG spokesperson predicted, adding, “I think it’s a real natural fit for Vermilion.” The NRG aide noted, however, that the event could eventually evolve into more of a “harvest festival” involving other interested NRG properties.
That same day, Restaurant Eve founder Cathal Armstrong is poised to host the nascent Summer Solstice Farm Dinner at Sperryville’s Mount Vernon Farm.
An event spokesperson said a farm-to-table concept had been bandied about since last winter, but the dinner only really came together once Armstrong came aboard. The spokesperson noted that Armstrong has already been out to Mount Vernon Farm, Sunnyside Farm and Watterpenny Farm to become firmly acquainted with their wares, but warned stringent locavores to cut them some slack.
“Not every single thing will be local … because we don’t have a supply of trout in Rappahannock County,” the spokesperson joked.Best of all: a portion of the proceeds will go right back t the Rappahannock County Farmland Preservation Fund.
Reserve your ticket for Vermilion’s solstice event ($160 per person) here. Claim your seat at Gourmet Rappahannock’s solstice sit-down ($180 per person) here.
–Warren